Tech school budget up 6.9 percent Increasing salaries and health insurance are behind hike

SOUTHWEST VERMONT REGIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

BY MARK R ONDEAU Bennington Banner

BENNINGTON - The Regional Governing Board of the Southwest Vermont Regional Technical School District has approved a $5,154,303 fiscal 2026 budget, up 6.99 percent.

Board Chair Kenneth Swierad said the increase was because of salaries and health insurance.

At their meeting on Monday, the RGB finalized their warning for the annual floor meeting. The meeting will take place at the meeting for the town of Bennington on Monday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the Bennington Firehouse, 130 River St.

This is the first time the annual board meeting has been held at the Bennington Firehouse since the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020. The meeting will include an informational discussion on articles to vote by Australian ballot on March 4.

At this meeting, ballot items be to establish stipends or salaries for the following year for board members, the treasurer, clerk, and moderator, and it will include a public informational session on articles to be voted on by Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 4.

Article E will be to vote on the district budget, and Article F will be to put $20,000 in reserve for equipment and $60,000 in reserve for capital improvements.

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"It's very very minimal. We've tried our best to respect the fact that our community is dealing with tax increases and cost of living increases everywhere, so we've tried to keep our budget as low as possible without impacting student learning."

REBECCA TATTERSALL, Southwest Vermont Regional Technical School District business manager

The ballot also will include voting on five openings on the Regional Governing Board. Each term is three years. Also on the ballot will be three-year terms for the treasurer, clerk, and moderator.

Rebecca Tattersall, district business manager, explained what she called "inflexible increases" in spending in the district budget.

"We labeled them inflexible increases because we as a board, we as a school, have no control over these increases," she said. "They are not part of what we can change in this upcoming budget."

These are:

•Proposed increase in health insurance rates, up 11.9 percent or approximately $60,000;

• Negotiated Salary Increases, up 9.9 percent plus step or approximately $246,420;

• Employer FICA tax increase, up 11.17 percent or approximately $18,850. Tattersall said that because salaries have increased the FICA tax has increased, both for employees and employer. She's focused on the employer side in the budget;

• Employer Vermont Municipal Employees' Retirement System (VMERS) increase, up 0.25 percent or $6,800;

• Vermont State Teacher Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Payment Increase estimate = $3,500;

• Act 76 Childcare Tax 0.44 percent (employer) increase, up 11 percent, or $1,000.

"All of these inflexible increases, these six increases, average out to be 99.95 percent of our total increase," Tattersall said.

The .05 percent the board chose to keep in the budget include an increase in supplies for programs and an increase for pieces of equipment.

"It's very very minimal. We've tried our best to respect the fact that our community is dealing with tax increases and cost of living increases everywhere, so we've tried to keep our budget as low as possible without impacting student learning," Tattersall said.

"And with the work of the finance committee, this is the budget we were prepared to bring to you. We did the best we could without hurting student learning."

At that meeting, the RGB also agreed on the fiscal 2026 tuition amount of $29,619, up $2,744 from $26,875 in fiscal 2025.

In Vermont, the school district of a student's residence pays tuition for secondary technical school. This includes Vermont residents who are adults without a high school diploma.

The Southwest Vermont Regional Technical School District serves high school and adult students from the southwestern region of Vermont and adjacent New York and Massachusetts. It serves high school students from Arlington, Bennington, Dorset, Glastenbury, North Bennington, Manchester, Pownal, Readsboro, Sandgate, Sears-burg, Shaftsbury, Sunder-land, and Woodford.

It offers daytime two to three year technical programs in Accounting & Finance, Auto Technology, Building Trades, Business Management, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Graphic Arts & Design, Manufacturing Technology, Forestry & Heavy Equipment, Human Services, Law Enforcement, Medical Professions, and Video& TV Productions.

Also offered are Daytime Pre-Tech Foundation Classes; Workforce Certification Courses and Adult Ed Training Courses; and Online Workforce & Adult Education Training Classes.

The school is located at 321 Park St. in Bennington.

Mark Rondeau can be reached at mrondeau@benningtonbanner. com